Visual Aids for the Arts Inc – förlag

The first monograph on Darrel Ellis' expressive transformations of photographic memoryKnown for his experimental approach to painting and photography, New York–based mixed-media artist Darrel Ellis (1958–92) explored the psychic terrain between surface, memory and lyric self-representation. Working in part from his late father’s photographs, Ellis projected, deconstructed and reimaged his family history, creating uncanny portraits marked by voids and warps. His commitment to the self-portrait was no less inspired, particularly after his experiences of being photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe and Peter Hujar. Ellis was on the cusp of major recognition when his life was cut short by AIDS in 1992, at the age of 33.This monograph provides the most comprehensive account of the artist to date, including 80 plates that chart his development from figurative painting to photographic experimentation and his later preoccupation with self-portraiture. Essays and an illustrated chronology featuring previously unseen excerpts from the artist’s journals provide new insights into Ellis’ life and work.

Tender and devotional figures in clay from an ordained minister and self-described testimonial artistBorn and based in Brooklyn, sculptor Reverend Joyce McDonald (born 1951) crafts moving testimonies to themes that have shaped her life: hope, grace and serenity, but also hardship, loss and devotion. As an ordained minister in the Church of the Open Door, spirituality and service are integral to McDonald's life and work. Her work often depicts figures in repose or embrace, embodying the strength, support and unconditional love that has sustained her life.The first museum exhibition devoted to her work, Ministry surveys the McDonald's prolific output since the 1990s, bringing together early works in air-dry clay and found materials with recent glazed ceramics. It presents a nuanced view of McDonald's biography, incorporating archival materials that trace her family and upbringing in Brooklyn's Farragut houses as well as her decades of exhibiting art as a member of Visual AIDS. The catalog features critical essays by Kyle Croft, the exhibition's curator, and Jareh Das, as well as an interview with McDonald conducted by artist Rafael Sánchez.

Nayland Blake and Justin Vivian Bond introduce us to the art and life of the extraordinary Jerome Caja (1958–1995), an artist and provocateur who transgressed the supposed boundaries of gender, performance, and art in the nightclub scene in San Francisco during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Caja’s outsize personality was matched by his powerful visual art, made with nontraditional materials like nail polish and human ashes, which details with humor, pathos, and deep insight the struggles of living with AIDS, finding love, and surviving. With additional contributions by Anthony Cianciolo, Craig Corpora, Anna van der Meulen, Amy Scholder, and Chris E. Vargas. --DUETS is a series of publications that pairs artists, activists, writers, and thinkers in dialogues about their creative practices and current social issues around HIV/AIDS. These engaging and highly readable conversations highlight the connections between communities of artists and activists. Drawing from the Visual AIDS Artist Registry and Archive Project, this series continues Visual AIDS’ mission to support, promote, and honor the work of artists with HIV/AIDS and the artistic contributions of the AIDS movement.

Kia LaBeija and Julie Tolentino come together for an intergenerational dialogue that illuminates their histories as artists and their relationships to HIV and AIDS spanning more than twenty years. From different perspectives, they discuss their shared practices as artists, performance makers, dancers, poets, and activists. With additional contributions by Lia Gangitano and David Velasco. DUETS is a series of publications that pairs artists, activists, writers, and thinkers in dialogues about their creative practices and current social issues around HIV/AIDS. These engaging and highly readable conversations highlight the connections between communities of artists and activists. Drawing from the Visual AIDS Artist Registry and Archive Project, this series continues Visual AIDS’ mission to support, promote, and honor the work of artists with HIV/AIDS and the artistic contributions of the AIDS movement.